I've just (finally) managed to install Mandrake 9.0 and am attempting to login for the first time.

I don't get a GUI when Mandrake finishes loading - instead I get a prompt asking me to login (localhost). I can log in as root no problem at all and when I press ctrl-alt-f7, I don't get the GUI (just a flashing cursor).

Someone mentioned configuring XF86 or something (this is my first time with Linux, so I'm lost) Can someone explain how to fix this?

First off, you should make sure that your X is set up properly by manually issuing the command "startx". If everything loads up fine there, you can edit the file "/etc/inittab" and look for a line that states the default runlevel. By the sounds of it, yours should show a default level of "3". You need to change this to "5" and save the file. The next time you restart, it should kick right into the gui screen.

btw, when i mean "edit" i mean, open it up in an editor such as pico, nano, vi or vim. If you don't know how to use any of these, then check out their manual (man vi).

For a brief example on vi, just open the file with the command "vi /etc/inittab". Scroll down using your arrow keys to the line i stated above, you should be able to see it as soon as the editor opens up. When you get down to that line, arrow over to the number, and press " i ". Change the number and then press " Esc ". After that you press " :wq " (yes, that's colon-W-Q") and press enter, that will save the file and exit out.